Elastic tire.



No'. 826,405. I l PATENTBD JULY 17, 1906 A. T. COLLIER. ELASTIG TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7. 1965.

PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

A. T. COLLIER. ELASTIG TIRE.

ATIoN FILED SEPT. 7. 1905.

APPLIO PATENTED JULY 17, 1905.

No. 8.261405. A y A. T. COLLIER. I BLASTIG 'r1 ze. APPLICATION FILED SE 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Noi-326,405. Y PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP PT. 7 1905.

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Unirse ,srnris PATENT oFFion.

lARTHUR THOMAS `COLLIER, OF ST. ALBANS, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE RElLLOO TYRE COMPANY LIMITED, OF LONDON. ENGLAND, A CORPORATION OF GREAT BRITAIN.

ELAs'Tl'c TIRE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

Application filed September 7, 1905. Serial No. 277.435.

vTo all, whom t may concern.-

lBe it known. that I, ARTHUR THOMAS CoL- LIER, asubject of the King of Great Britain, residingat St. Albans, Herts, En land, have 'during use.

invented certain'new and usefu Improvements' in and Relating to Elastic Tires for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.v I

This invention relates to elastic vehicletires built up of short lengths ,which can be convenientlyrenewed separately and which can nevertheless be securely held in position Accordingfto the present invention the tire is made in short lengths which are vulcanized to rigid carriers with one or more intermediate layers of india-rubber of greater hardness between' the elastic india-rubber and/the carriers, whichrare preferably secured in position on the wheel so that their longitudinal axes lie transversely to the "plane of the 4Wheel-that is'to say, trans'- versely to the plane extending through the 'material, these pins or projections en agin with holes or recesses provided in the atera flanges. Where a sufficient number of rods or wires are employed, the platesthemselves may be dispensed with: One or both of the said 4grooveol or-recessed lateral flanges are preferabl made detachable.

Accordying to another. constructional form of the said invention the rigid plates bearing the lengths of elastic material or the sai lengths .of elastic material themselves are provided at their inner or'lower parts with .dovetailed or like grooves or projections,

which respectively coact with corresponding rojections or grooves on or 1n the Wheellelly, these plates or lengths of elastic matea modified arrangement.

rial being secured in position laterally by suitable flanges.

AIn a further constructional form ofthe said invention the lengths of elastic material forming the tire are secured in position on the wheel rim or felly by means of screw-thread.

ed studs or bolts which extend through holes in the wheel rim or felly and engage in screw-threaded holes provided in the rigid plates, or the tire lengths may be attached to the Wheel by rings provided With screwthreaded Shanks extending through holes in the .felly and secured by nuts or the like, the rods or Wires extending through the elastic material being threaded through the said rings. A j

The lateral surfaces of the short lengths of elastic material are preferably arranged to press against each other at their lower or mner parts, so as-to reduce the internal stresses 1n the india-rubber or like mate-rial, the said surfaces being formed in such a manner that a'series of groovesare produced around the' The lengths of elastic ma- 4 tread of the tire. terial are preferably arranged obliquely on the Wheel-rim in such a manner that the oblique grooves formed between thein extend in opposite directions on the wheels on opposite sides of the vehicle to prevent slipping sidewise ofthe said vehicle.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 `a perspective view of part of a tire and wheelriin constructed in accordance with one forin `or A'modification of the present invention.

Fig'. 2 is a plan, thereof, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line :c ai, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a single length of tire, and Fig. 5 is a plan thereof. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a single length of tire, illustrating Figs. 7, 8, 9, an

10 are sectional views of lengths of tires, illus- 'trating modified arrangements for se curing the F i 1l isa perspective same towheel-rims. view illustrating a still rther modification of my invention.

Referring to Figs. l to 5 of the accompanying drawings, o o are short lengths of elastic material mounted on rigid plates b, whicharev referably arranged obliquely on a wliee -riin, the elastic material beine' so shaped that oblique grooves'are former botwcen adjacent lengths of tire. Parts c of IOO the plates Z1 project beyond or outside of the elastic material and engage in grooves (l, formedin the flanges e. -()ne or both of these flanges may be made detachable from the Wheel-rimfand,may be secured thereto. for example, by bolts g. The base portions of each length of tire may be extended to form ribs L lyingin grooves j, formed in the sides of the hollow central portions c'of the plates b. Wires or rods m are embedded in the ribs z, and the ends of these wires or rods project beyond the elastic material and enter holes n in the flanges e. The said wires or rods may be straight from end to end andenter oblique holes in the flanges; but preferably the ends thereof are bent, as more cleirluf flim. ln Figs. 2 and 5. The short lengths of elastic material may be formed with layers of text-ile fabric o embedded therein, (see Fig. 4,) the said layers converging toward and wrappingvaround the wires or rods m embedded' in the lnaterial. If desired, in cases where wires or rods m m are used in combination with a core k' transverse wires or stays may be employed which extend through transverse holes in the said core and unite the wires or rods m m on the' oppositel sides thereof, thus further increasing the strength of thc tire.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 a plate b, formed in Vone sheet of uniform thickness, 'is` shown'in substitution for the plate b, having a raised central portion k. This plate bf supports a length of elastic material a and is eurvedto conform to the cylindrical surface of the wheel-rim on which it is to be mounted. VProjecting parts c" of the plate are arranged to engagethe flangegrooves (Z, and wires or rods m are embedded in the elastic material, as in the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5. Thesewires may, however, be -dispensed with. The elastic Ymaterial may be soft india-rubber vulcani. ized to the'supporting-plate with or without one or more interniediatev layers of'indiarubber of greater hardness, the layer nearest the supporting-plate preferably consisting of vulcanite suitably prepared to insure firm ad- .hesion thereof to the material-e. g., metalof which the said supporting-plate is formed. The differences in hardness of the several layers are preferably obtained by making them-.of india-rubber mixtures of different compositions.

In the constructional form illustrated in Fig. 7 the rigid plates b2 are formed with projections p undercut to slide between the unv dercut projections gon the rim. This arrangement secures the tire length both radially and circumferentially, the lateral retention being effected by side flanges similar to the flanges e in Fig. 1. The groove d, however, is not required in this instance, but holes are provided for the said flanges to receive the ends 0f the-wires m. In some cases @amos `sections taken onplanes containing the axis of the wheel. A modification of this arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 8, in which the elastic material a2'is' forced into channel- -shaped supporting-plates b or molded therein, and the said plates b3 are secured by rivets r or in any other convenient manner to the wheel-rim f.

In a further constructional form of the present invention (see Fig. 9) the tire lengths are secured in position on the wheel-rim f by means of screw-threaded studs' or bolts s, which extend through holes in the wheel-rim and engage screw-threaded holes o', provided in the plates b. In some instances it is preferable to insert in the elastic material rings t, (see Fig. 10,) having screw-threaded shanks u, extending through holes in the wheel-rim and secured therein by nuts o. The wires or rods m, embedded in the elastic material, are threaded through these rings t.

In some cases the lengths of tire are so arranged that the sides thereof toward theirA bases press against each other, as at y, Figs. 1 and 7. jacent lengths and reduces the internalstresses in the india-rubber or like elastic material at the-point where separation from the fastenings is most likely to occur, notably in cases where the india-rubber is vulcanized on a support of harder material.

lThe thickness of the elastic material toward the center of the tire lengths may be increased or other suitable methods of construction Amay be em loyed to avoid concavity of the tread of t e tire and in order toA produce a tire having a narrow central tread, it being noted that if flat tire lengths are employed the resulting tread would be hyper-- bolic in cross-section.

In order to prevent a vehicle provided with tires such as are hereinabove described slipping sidewise, the oblique grooves Abetween adjacent tire lengths are preferably inclined in opposite' directions on the wheels on opposite sides of the vehicle to which such tires are applied. In cases where the wheel 1s provided with only one detachable flange the lengths of tire are laid obliquely in such a direction that the driving stress tends to move them away from this flange. In other cases, as shown in'F ig. 12, in order to further prevent skidding the lengths of material can be provided with transverse grooves 6 6, which when the said lengths Aare in position on the rim register with each other to .form one or more circumferential grooves around the Wheel. In the tire here shown the plates b are dispensed with and the lengths of elastic material are held in position on the felly by a suitable number of rods Each length thus supports the ad- Y TOO ISO

'or wires m, extending longitudinally through I the lengths of elastic material a.` The ends of these rods .or wires engage with grooves d 'd in the iianges e :e in asimilar manner to the lates c. (Shown in Fig. 3,)

4prising a substantially cylindrical sup 1. Anelastic tire for vehicle-wheels, comport, a

series of len ths of elasticmaterial, d carriers vsecure to the bases of said llengths-of elastic material, projections on said rigid carriers, and separate lateral lflanges on said supof said lr'elly curing said carriers -tosaid felly or rim.

4. The` combination. With-a vehicle-'Wheel' .felly or rim, of a series of -lengths of elastic portfor engaging with said projections;`

2. ,The combination with a whale-.wheel felly or rim, of a series of lengths of elastic material 'arranged transversely around-the periphery of said felly or rim, carriers vulcanized to said lengths-of elastic material,

-projectionson said carriers extending fromthe ends of such 'lenthsof elastic material, and se arat'e recesse flanges on the sides of said fe 'yor ri'mfor engagin said pro'ecti ons.

3. The combination Wit a vehic e-wheel `felly or rim, of a series of lengths of elastic india-rubber arranged around the periphery indla-rubber, rigid carriers for said lengths of elastic' materia india-rubber of greater hardness vulcanized -to said lengths of,elas tic' india-rubber and to said carriers, means for securing said carriers to saidrim or felly material each extending across'the tread of so that the said lengths of india-rubber abut against each otherin such a manner that, the joints between the different layers of indiarubber lie within the. vsurfaceof lcontactbetween said'len'ths of india-rubber.

5. The com ination with a vehicle-wheel elly or rim, of a series of lengths of elastic the Wheel and arran ed obliquelyaround the I periphery of said fel y or rim so that two ad,-

jacent lengths arealways in'contactwith the ground, yrigid carriers secured -to the bases of felly aving described lmy myentiiom'whatf I claim,l and desire to secure by Letters -Pator rim,,rigid can'iers for saidl said lengths 'of elastic material, projections on said carriers,l and separate anges on said tions.

6. The combination with a vehicle-wheel fellyor rim, of a'series of'separate lengths of elastic material which are arranged transor rim-for engaging withsaid projec.

versely around the peri hery of said felly or I rim and which each grooves registering with each other to form a circumferential groove around the tread of' the tire, ri 'd carriers secured to the bases of said lengtl of elastic material, projections on said carriers, and separate flanges on said felly or rim for engaging With said projections.

ave a groove, said,

7. A tire-section, comprising a-length `of elastic india-rubber, a rigid carrier/having parts projecting. beyond said india-rubber,

and two or more intermediate layers of india-- rubber of greater hardness vulcanized to said .lengths of elastic india-rubber and to said carrier, thehardest intermediate layer being next tothe'carrier and the softest intermediate layer being next to the elastic indiar'ubber.'

83 An elastic tire for vehicle-Wheels, comprisinga ri'gid rim or felly, a series of len ths V of elastic material, rigid carriers secure tov the bases of said lengths of elastic material projections on said ri d carriers', 'lateral 'anges on saidrim or fe y fer engaging with said projections, and means for unitingand 'detaching'saidjflanges to androm each other.

.9. The combinatiomwith a vehicle-wheel i felly or rim, o fa series of lengths Aofelastic india-rubber arranged around the periphery of said felly or rim7 rigid carriers for said lengths' of india-rubber, india-rubber 4of greater hardnessvulcanized to said lengths ofelastic india-'rubber and to said carriers, projections on said carriers extending from the ends of said lengths of elastic material,

lateral flanges on said rim or felly for engage l ing said projections, and means for Vuniting and detaching saidflanges to and from eac other.

' VIn testimony whereof I have hereunto set my vhand in presence of two subscribing Wit-l.

DGSSQS i ARTHUR THOMAS COLLIER.

' Witnesses:` I

JOHN T. Knowing.l ALEXANDER "WniLIaM- ALLEN.l

IOO 

